Young People Should Vote for Brexit

Harry Maxwell
London based 22-year-old. Formerly BBC1's 2011 Young Apprentice.

It's got nothing to do with immigration, but has everything to do with taking control of our future.

I recently came across the book of Mervyn King, former Governor of the Bank of England, and it became immensely clear that the European Union is destined for failure.

Having a homogeneous body ruling heterogeneous nations doesn't work, and it's only a matter of time before the EU breaks apart and economic turmoil follows.

Just think about it.

If you were a German, how long until you became frustrated that your taxes are higher because you have to prop-up less successful EU economies?

If you were Greek, how long until you've had enough that the (relatively) high price of the Euro has harmed your economic recovery and sustained mass unemployment?

And if you were a citizen of a Southern European country, how long until you get fed up of your skilled workers constantly emigrating away?

We're already seeing the tensions building. Just look at the rise of far-right politicians; Marine Le Pen in France, Norbert Hofer in Austria, Nigel Farage in the UK... And this is just the start.

A 'remain' vote won't stop the growing uneasiness with the European Union, so let's get out the house before someone else burns it down.

I've seen the statistics on how dependent our economy is on the EU, and that's what terrifies me the most.

Why do we want to be so closely tied with an economic area that's destined for failure? Why do we want to be paired so tightly with the EU's painful stagnation over the past eight years?

We live in an era of globalisation and lowered trade costs, so could reap significant economic benefit from free trade deals with strong, high growth economies like China, Japan and the US.

Let's take this chance to build an economy of the future. One that's balanced, positions us to trade with who we want, and react to the ever-changing economic environment.

In the instance of Brexit, I completely reject the idea that we wouldn't be able to establish another free trade deal with the EU. We're the Eurozone's second largest economy, out of 28, so their relative dependence on us shouldn't be ignored.

I don't doubt that there could be some economic pain in the short-term, as in all instances of uncertainty and economic reshuffling.

However, to me, it's a case of taking a broken arm now to avoid being shot in the face later on. As Lord King wrote in his book, "the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term costs".

"If the alternative is crushing austerity, continuing mass unemployment, and no end in sight to the burden of debt, then leaving the Euro area may be the only way to plot a route back to economic growth and full employment."

This is why I want to call on my fellow young people to vote to leave the European Union. The fate of our country, our economy and our lives should not lie in the hands of others. Brexit is not a vote back to the stone age, it's a fresh start.

As Millennials, we are the generation who have the energy, increased entrepreneurial propensity and self-belief to drive this change. So let's take the opportunity to build a country of the future, together.